Who will buy Worcester's Midtown Mall? Two potential buyers in talks over property standing in way of city's downtown renaissance

As New England's second largest city continues to undergo a massive transformation of its downtown, one key property has sat unaltered, a reminder of the urban core's once troubled past: The Midtown Mall.

MassLive has learned that Dean Marcus, the owner of the Midtown Mall, is entertaining several offers on the pivotal property, and has been for at least two years.

Those familiar with the property say several offers have been made for the mall over the years, but disagreements over the price and value of the property have caused potential buyers to back out.

Located in the heart of the city's renaissance, the complex reputation of the property has made any deal on the property difficult to close.

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Alban Murtishi | amurtish@masslive.com

An important piece of Worcester's future

Since 1941, the Midtown Mall has stood as a centerpiece of Front Street. Just down the block, on 100 Front St., hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in the Mercantile Center offices. Across the street, The Grid District is refurbishing apartment units and opening new restaurant and retail spaces. The mall was identified in the city’s Urban Revitalization Plan as a property targeted for redevelopment. And included in the state-approved plan is the city’s power to take the Midtown Mall through eminent domain.

City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said the city is prepared to invoke that right and place the mall in the hands of a new developer if something isn’t done.

"It's absolutely an option. What is not an option is to leave that eyesore in the center of downtown. That's not an option." Augustus said. "The tool remains in the toolbox and we'll use it at the right time," Augustus said.

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Alban Murtishi | amurtish@masslive.com

The offers

One of the Midtown Mall's potential buyers is Ifeanyi Menkiti, a former Wellesley professor, and his son, Bo Menkiti, the owner of The Menkiti Group, a large development firm active in the Washington D.C. area. Menkiti said in an interview that his son would likely lead development if they purchased the building.

Felicio Lana, a developer who owns dozens of buildings in Worcester, has also been in talks with Marcus to purchase the property, although he declined to comment on any of the details surrounding a potential deal. Lana heads Northeastern Development and several other real estate LLCs. He also owns the buildings right next to the Midtown Mall, 44-50 Front St.

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Alban Murtishi | amurtish@masslive.com

Second chance

Marcus has owned the troubled property, which is actually composed of two buildings on 12-22 Front St., for more than 50 years. In that time, the Midtown Mall has developed a reputation for attracting criminal activity and for failing to keep up with the rest of development downtown.

The opportunity for the Midtown Mall to have a new owner take it into a new direction is an exciting one for Augustus, especially with Worcester’s downtown already undergoing a major renaissance of development and dining.

"When you look at that it's half of a block. It is that connective piece to the more concentrated part, it's an important linkage. You'd be looking for a developer that was willing to be creative and could tackle a big project," Augustus said.

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Alban Murtishi | amurtish@masslive.com

Ifeanyi Menkiti

Ifeanyi Menkiti recently purchased the Shack’s Clothes building on 406 Main St. Menkiti said that shortly after he purchased the building, a broker told him about the Midtown Mall possibly being up for sale.

Menkiti, a former poetry and African studies professor at Wellesley College, is interested in starting an academic institute of sorts in Worcester. He purchased the Shack’s building to get close to what he says is a cultural revolution waiting to happen in the city.

“I did not seek out Worcester; Worcester in a way, found me. I have had this dream of starting an institution for 20 to 30 years. With all the colleges here, I asked myself ‘Why is it that Worcester itself is not brought up in the same breath as the cultural movement in Boston.’ It is important that the city reap the benefits of its cultural resources. There’s an amazing underlying strength there,” Menkiti said.

Menkiti plans to open an office on one of the open floors of the four-story Shack’s building that will serve as the staging ground for an academic discussion group called Emengini Institute. However, Menkiti said what he’s really looking for is a space where he can open up lecture for his academic mission.

That’s how he became interested in the Midtown Mall.

“[The building] is particularly well set up for my own dreams, especially on the second floor. I told Dean and the city that it looks very good and there wouldn’t need to be much work done to turn it into lecture rooms and classrooms,” Menkiti said.

Menkiti said if his son does get involved in development, more work would be done to the property and it would be totally rebranded. That rebranding would transform the Midtown Mall into a mixed-use retail and housing property, Menkiti said.